Vandread: New Adventures
by hellhound-d.o.w
Summary: Begins with the ending of Vandread. Hibiki and crew are about to hunt for Earth and stop the rest of the Harvesters. Replaced Chapter 1 and 2 with revised copies. Let me know what you think of them. ON HOLD.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own Vandread, Robotech, Zoids, Gundam Wing, or Xenogears. Nor do I own the names and descriptions of several of the characters I will be using. I will be using the Robotech books by Jack McKinney as the basis for all mecha from Robotech. All Zoids and Xenogears equipment are customized to the Vandread universe and, as such, will not have minds or will of their own.

All criticism is welcome, however, if you are going to try and flame me, at least be original. There are only so many times you can be told, "You Suck!!!" before it gets boring.

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"DITA!"

Dita Liebely stops and slowly turns around in surprise.

"Come on!"

Misty Cornwell and Jura Basil Elden look shocked. Dita slowly realizes what Hibiki Tokai said. He grins at her. Dita smiles, tears in her eyes, and begins to run down the ramp to the shuttle.

Misty, Jura, Meia Gisborn, Barnette Orangello, and Paiway Underberg look on in various states of happiness and amazement. Buzzam A. Calessa waits patiently at the helm of the shuttle for Dita to board with both Bart A. Garsus and Duero McFile watching Hibiki and Dita.

At the last two meters, Dita jumps towards the hatch of the shuttle, clasping Hibiki's hand. Hibiki helps pull her the rest of the way into the shuttle as B.C. powers up the shuttle for launch. Duero smiles and heads for a seat, followed by Bart and Pyoro. Hibiki hugs Dita as the shuttle starts to move.

"No more of this Mister Alien stuff, got it?"

"Right, Mr. Al…I mean Hibiki."

They head to the nearest set of seats as the shuttle accelerates towards Taraak.

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"On behalf of Lord Grandpa, I welcome you to Taraak. I am Colonel Benjamin Slate and I will be your guide and assist you in any way I can for your stay. If there is anything you need, do not hesitate to ask myself or any of the men under my command, "said the five foot 8 inch tall man. He had a dark complexion and was slim of build. His hair and eyebrows were steel gray in color.

"Thank you, Colonel, I am Buzzam Calessa, but please call me B.C. I'm the Vice-Captain of the Nirvana. This is Bart Garsus, Duero McFile, Hibiki Tokai, and Dita Liebely. I understand you are the leader of the 101st Taraakian Air Ground Space Company. I was under the impression that the 101st TAGS Company was used for the testing of new Vanguard types and Special Operations missions only."

"Please, call me Ben. And yes, we are the 101st TAGS Company. As you have pointed out, we are in the process of testing new Van types and that makes me a very busy person. I have much to do, and many things to set up for your stay, so if you will excuse me, I will leave you in the care of my second in command, Lieutenant Colonel Simon Barrow."

Ben signals to another officer nearby.

"This is Lieutenant Colonel Simon Barrow. He will guide you to your rooms and make sure that everything is too your satisfaction. Colonel, these are our guests from the Nirvana. Buzzam Calessa, Dita Liebely, Hibiki Tokai, Bart Garsus, and Duero McFile. I leave them in your care."

"Of course, sir." The five foot ten inch male saluted Colonel Slate and turned to the crew. "I'm Lt. Colonel Barrow; it's a pleasure to make your acquaintance. If you will follow me, I will show you to the Dining Hall, and to your rooms."

Slate led them towards a three story building nearby. As he enters, he points to his left.

"Through this door is the dining hall. While it may seem small, the men are set up on shifts to take that into consideration. Only one third of our men are working at any one time. This gives them plenty of time to rest and relax while keeping work going twenty four hours a day. The second and third floors are sleeping quarters."

He walks a little farther down the hall and pushes a button on the wall to his right. After a few seconds wait, the elevator door opens.

"If you will follow me."

He stops the elevator on the second floor and gets off.

"This is the floor you will be staying on. Colonel Slate, myself, and the rest of the officers stay on this floor. We were told there would be four people, so we only prepared four rooms. If you will give us a little time, we can prepare a fifth room for you."

B.C. smiles slightly.

"I don't think that will be necessary, Colonel. Four rooms will be just fine."

"Here are the key cards for the rooms, then. If there is anything you need, the code for my comm. unit is 3579. Use any communicator to call me. If you will excuse me…"

Barrow steps into the elevator and closes the door.

Dita jumps onto Hibiki and starts to hug him.

"So are we going to share rooms, Mr. Ali…Hibiki?"

"WHAT??? Have you lost your mind? Why don't you stay with B.C.?"

He looks around to point at her, but B.C., as well as Bart and Duero, have vanished into their rooms. Hibiki looks at Dita for a minute.

"Fine. Follow me."

Hibiki turns, activates the key to his room, and walks in, Dita following closely behind.

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A/N: As there are people that haven't seen the series, I'm going to give descriptions of characters at the end of the chapters they are introduced, as well as tell the origins of some of the names that are being used. The information for the Vandread cast was taken from the Vandread Library at  except I added a year to each of their age to account for the year they spent traveling home. As new characters are added, I will update where I got the information. So, on with the show….

Dita Liebely – This 5'2" red haired, blue eyed woman is 17 years old and a bit of a ditz….okay a bit is an understatement, but you get the idea. She is obsessed with aliens and thinks Hibiki Tokai is on. Her favorite thing to do is chase him around and feed him. She pilots a blue Dread for the Magno Pirates.

Misty Cornwell – She is 5' even and has dark blue hair and red eyes. She is 14 years old and is the most experienced of all the crew of the Nirvana at being around men (with the exception of the men, of course) as she was raised by a father and a mother. She used to chase after Hibiki, much to the annoyance of Dita, but gave up…for now. Considers Meia Gisborn as a big sister.

Jura Basil Elden – With blonde hair and green eyes, this 5'9" woman is the sub-commander of the Dread squadrons and pilots the red Dread at the tender age of 20. She is extremely superficial and shallow, but in spite of that, will do her best to help those she cares about. She occasionally chases Hibiki around in an attempt to get "a man's seed," but by the end of the series has accepted that he and Dita are a couple. Cares deeply about her friend and possible lover, Barnette Orangello.

Hibiki Tokai – At 4'10, is the shortest male on the ship…even shorter than most of the women. He is 17 years old with black hair and brown eyes. He is cocky, quick to jump into things before he understands them and easily shocked. However, he is extremely loyal to people he calls friend and has strong feelings about what is right and what is not. He pilots a yellow Vanguard that he calls his partner. He can combine with Dita, Jura, or Meia to create Vandreads or to create a Super Vandread when he combines his partner with all three Dreads and Pyoro. He is the son of Grandpa and Grandma, the leaders of Taraak and Mejer, respectively. His arm was broken in the final battle with the Red Pexis at the end of the series.

Meia Gisborn – Meia turns 20 during the series and is the leader of the Dread squadrons. She is 5'6" with light blue hair and green eyes. She is slim with a cold personality most of the time, but has started to open up to people and even smile. Tries her best to do everything without relying on others, but is realizing that sometimes you need others help. After some kind words to Misty, has been followed around by her and been called "Big Sister," constantly, which unnerves her every time she hears it. She pilots the silver Dread.

Barnette Orangello – A very tough and determined individual, she is 19 years old with black hair and black eyes. She likes cooking and collecting (and using) antique weapons, specifically guns. She loves Jura, and is often included in her schemes. She used to be very impulsive, but after the appeared death of Gascogne Rheingau, she calms down immensely. She pilots a pink and white Dread.

Paiway Underberg – Is a 12 year old doctor of the Nirvana before Duero McFile came aboard. At 4'6" is the shortest and youngest person with the exception of Kahlua (Ezra's baby). She is constantly investigating the life and happenings of people around the ship to the point of stalking. She is mature for her age, but is also reliant on Duero and Dita as she considers herself close to them. In spite of her age, she is an effective doctor.

Buzam A. Calessa AKA B.C. – Vice-captain of the Nirvana, she is quiet and reserved, speaking only when something needs to be said. She 5'8" with green eyes and gray hair and is 28 years old. She takes her job very seriously and is considered a work-a-holic. She seems to be able to do anything from reading men's language to fighting in hand to hand combat. Her preferred weapon is a whip. Towards the end of the series, it is revealed that she is a Taraakian that been cosmetically altered to appear as a woman and is a spy for the Taraakian government. She returns to the Nirvana as vice-captain after rescuing Bart and Duero from Taraak.

Bart A. Garsus – Navigator of the Nirvana, he is 17 years old, 6'1", with blonde hair (shaved bald), and blue eyes. He also is usually stuck with command of the ship when B.C. and Magno Vivan aren't available. Constantly talks, has a crush on B.C., and is son of one of the food manufacturers on Taraak. Sticks up for his friends and those he cares about without regard for himself…until after the fact.

Duero McFile – He is the tallest of the original three men onboard the Nirvana at 6'4". He has black hair and black eyes. He is the leading doctor onboard the Nirvana at only 18 years of age. He has a very analytical personality and is 'intrigued' by many things. He seems to have feelings for Parfait Balblair, the engineering chief.

Pyoro – is a navi-robot that has been upgraded by the Pexis with his own personality. He is loud and oftentimes obnoxious. Usually baby sits Kahlua for Ezra, but always calls her Pyoro 2. He is used often to interface with the Pexis and is used for the Super Vandread.

Colonel Benjamin Slate – He is 5'8" tall, slim build, and has steel gray hair. He is 38 years old and is an expert in hand to hand combat. Slate is very open-minded to events that happen and accepts them in a fatalist type way. I borrowed the name and description from the book "Legend of the Duelist" by Rutledge Etheridge.

Lt. Colonel Simon Barrow – Barrow is 5'10" with dark brown hair and blue eyes. He is slim and is on the same level as Slate in hand to hand combat skills. He is an expert tactician and far stronger than his looks suggest. He is 33 years old. The name and part of the description is taken from the book "The First Duelist" by Rutledge Etheridge.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I do not own Vandread, Robotech, Zoids, Gundam Wing, or Xenogears. Nor do I own the names and descriptions of several of the characters I will be using. I will be using the Robotech books by Jack McKinney as the basis for all mecha from Robotech. All Zoids and Xenogears equipment are customized to the Vandread universe and, as such, will not have minds or wills of their own.

All criticism is welcome, however, if you are going to try and flame me, at least be original. There are only so many times you can be told, "You Suck!!!" before it gets boring.

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B.C. takes another sip of her coffee while sitting in the Dining Hall, when someone sits close next to her. Without even glancing over, she says, "Good morning, Hibiki. Have you gotten used to sleeping in the same room as Dita yet?"

Hibiki grumbles a bit, but says nothing as he begins to eat some pellets. B.C. smiles as she thinks back to the first morning they were on Taraak last week.

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"AAAAAAAAAAGGGGGHHHHHH!!!"

B.C. wakes up suddenly, looking for her whip. After a second, she realizes that she recognizes the voice that just screamed. She glances at the clock and, deciding that she needed to get up soon anyway, starts to get ready for the day.

Bart, hearing the scream, stops shaving and goes to Hibiki's room. After knocking on the door, Hibiki opens it...and falls over laughing. Bart hears another snicker to his left. He glances over just in time to see the door to Duero's room close.

"What are you laughing about, Hibiki?"

Hibiki slowly stops laughing with his eyes closed. As he opens them to speak, he starts laughing again and pointing at Bart's head. Bart reaches up to scratch his head, and, feeling something wet, brings his hand back down only to realize that he still has shaving cream on it from his shaving. He dashes back into his room, closing the door behind him.

After Hibiki finally stops laughing again, he looks at the cause of his scream this morning, still asleep on his bed.

"_I should be angry at this, but for some reason, I just can't be…" _

He knows that it wasn't her fault he fell out of the bed onto his broken arm. If he hadn't overreacted, it wouldn't have happened.

"_Maybe I'm getting used to having her around…"_

He stops his internal monologue and heads to take a shower.

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B.C. refills her coffee cup and heads up to speak with Ben. She passes Bart and Duero on their way to the dining hall, wishing them both good mornings on the way. Noticing she hasn't seen Dita yet this morning, she stops by the room Hibiki shares with her on the way to the Colonel.

Dita answers the door in nothing but a towel and a huge grin.

"Good morning, Commander."

"Good morning, Dita, how is everything going?"

"Everything is good, ma'am. Hibiki is real quiet, though. Dita is worried he might not be feeling well. Dita thinks it's because Hibiki has to eat the horrible men's food again."

"Okay, Dita, get some clothes on and go eat. I'm going to see the Colonel."

"HAI."

B.C. heads over to the Colonel's room and knocks three times on the door.

"Come in."

B.C. opens the door and walks in, sees Colonel Slate sitting behind his desk, and sits in the chair in front of the desk.

"Good morning, Ben."

"Good morning, B.C. What can I do for you this morning?"

"How soon can your people be ready to deploy?"

"Within 24 hours. Why?"

"I have received new orders from Grandpa and Grandma. The Nirvana is to deploy in three months to search and destroy any and all harvest ships. Secondary mission is to find and either make Earth see the error of its ways, or…destroy the threat from Earth. You and your men are to be deployed with us on this matter."

"Why haven't I received…?" As he speaks, the computer on his desk beeps. He glances at it to see a message from the Minister of Foreign Affairs stating he has new orders. Glancing over the orders, he looks at B.C. and says, "My men will be ready to move at noon tomorrow. We will be bringing our ship and all our equipment including several prototype ground units. I take it that the extra three months in space will be acclimatization between my men and the women on the Nirvana?"

"Yes, Ben, we will be working together during that time to incorporate the Dread squadrons and the Vanguard squadrons together. I will send a message to the Nirvana to have Chief Engineer Parfet prepare several extra simulation couches for your crew members. She should have them done within a week's time. I haven't told my captain the news yet, so if you will excuse me, I will head to my room and do that."

"Right, I will contact you if there are any delays."

B.C. gets up and head towards the door. As she opens it, she looks back and says, "Thank you, Colonel."

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"Hello, B.C., we already received the news, but thank you for calling us about it." Captain Magno Vivan says as she smiles at her second in command. "We are already preparing the old colony rooms for the new men that will be on board."

"Thank you, Captain. By the way, could Parfet make another dozen simulation couches and place them in the training room? This way the men can train as well for combat against the harvest ships and for fighting with the dreads."

"Of course, B.C. Seems I will be babysitting sooner than expected. Oh well, it is too quiet without that little one around, anyway."

Magno smiles slightly.

"Anything else, B.C.?"

"No, Captain. We will see you tomorrow evening."

B.C. closes the communication channel and sits back to think on this situation.

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B.C. exits her room and looks around for the other four, but succeeds only in finding Bart in the Dining Hall still eating breakfast.

"Bart, could you find Duero, Hibiki, and Dita and bring them come to my room, after you finish breakfast? We need to have a meeting."

"Of course, Vice-captain."

Bart salutes her and starts to eat the rest of his food faster so he can begin to search for the other three. B.C. turns and leaves, heading to her room to prepare for the meeting.

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Duero, studying some of the new medical systems that were created while he was onboard the Nirvana, looks up when Bart walks into the room.

"What are you looking at there, Duero?"

"It's some new medical systems that Taraak created while we were gone. I'm studying up on them in case we need to use them. What brings you down here?"

"The vice-captain wants us all to come to her room for a meeting. Do you know where Hibiki and Dita are?"

"Hibiki said something about going to check out the Vanguards that they are testing here. Dita will probably be with him."

"Okay, thanks Duero."

Duero closes the book he was reading and gets up to head to B.C.'s room.

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Major Manner Longley was trying not to laugh as Hibiki walked toward him with Dita firmly attached to his left arm. The five foot, five inch, pale skinned man had overcome his shock at seeing the woman always clinging to Hibiki very quickly. Plus, he decided, she seemed friendly enough, not like the propaganda at all.

"What can I do for you today, Hibiki? Looking to see more of our new Vanguards?"

"Yeah, I was wondering why all the ones you have are so different from every other one."

"All of my equipment is meant for ground combat. As such, it was decided that animal forms would be more useful for that. With these we can carry more firepower than the normal Vanguard and customize it more for the mission at hand. However, the downside to that is that we have almost no capability in space at all. The most we could do is sit on the hull of the ship and fire our weapons at the enemy."

"HIBIKI!!! DITA!!!"

Both look around to see Bart in the distance running towards them.

"Hi, Mr. Helmsman."

"Hello, Bart. What's up?"

Bart stops running when he gets to them, and leans over, out of breath.

"The vice-captain…wants us to meet her…in her room. She wants to…have a meeting...about something."

"Okay, see you later then, Major. Let's go, Bart."

"Goodbye, Mr. New Alien."

Major Longley couldn't quite hide his cringe when she called him that. He shakes his head and walks back to his cat shaped Vanguard.

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B.C. looks around at the four people in her room. Bart is leaning against the wall next to the door. Duero sitting in the chair at the desk. Dita and Hibiki sitting on the bed. Pyoro floating around at random mumbling, "Pyoro 2…..Pyoro 2….."

"Since you are all here now, there is something you should know. We are heading back to the Nirvana tomorrow."

Dita starts hopping up and down on the bed in excitement.

"Hibiki, we can go back to see everyone tomorrow. Isn't that wonderful?"

"Pyoro 2, I can finally see Pyoro 2 again."

Hibiki's stomach growls and he quickly wipes the drool from his mouth.

Duero looks at the vice-captain for a second and says, "Isn't this earlier than we expected? By at least two months, at that?"

"Yes, Duero, it seems we have new orders from Grandma and Grandpa. We are to join with the 101st TAGS Company to the Nirvana and for three months, prepare everyone for a mission."

"What is this mission supposed to be, Vice-Captain?" asks Bart.

"The mission involves searching for information on the location of Earth. When we find that information, we are to go there and eliminate the threat of the harvest once and for all."

She looks at them and says, "You should all start to pack and get a good night sleep before tomorrow."

Everyone starts to leave the room to pack the little stuff they have with them, leaving B.C. again with her thoughts about the coming mission.

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Hibiki and Dita, after packing, head to the dining hall to get some lunch. As they arrive, they see Major Longley just sitting down to eat.

"MR. NEW ALIEN!!"

Major Longley cringes so hard he almost drops his tray of food. The man sitting next to him smiles widely and shovels another spoonful of pills into his mouth. Major Longley looks up and says, "Hello, Dita, Hibiki. How was the meeting with your, Commander?"

"It went fine, Major. We are just here to get some lunch before we head back to talking to and letting the men get used to Dita. So far they seem to be reacting pretty good."

"That's because most of them already think differently than most Taarakians. Do you know what an Omega Company is, Hibiki?"

"….no."

"It's a company made up of troublemakers and men who can't or won't act like they are supposed to. However each of the men in this company also proved themselves too invaluable to be re-educated or thrown out of the military." 

"…."

Hibiki sits back and seems to be thinking on that for a minute.

"So this company is an Omega Company?

"Right."

"What did you do to be sent here?"

Manner grins at Hibiki.

"I punched my old commanding officer in the face for ordering me on a suicide mission."

Hibiki seems taken aback by his statement and sits there eating and thinking on Manner's words.

"By the way, have you met Major John Pritcher?"

Major Longley motions to the man sitting next to him.

"He is in charge of the space forces of the 101st."

The man sitting next to him looks at Hibiki and Dita, smiles slightly, and goes back to eating.

"Hi, Mr. Space Major."

He stops eating and looks at her for a minute.

"Just call me Major."

"Okay, Mr. Major." 

He stares at her for minute.

"Just Major."

"Okay Major."

He watches her for a minute longer and goes back to eating.

Shortly after the exchange, Pritcher finishes his meal and leaves, followed quickly by Manner. Hibiki and Dita finish their meal shortly after Manner and leave to explore the base and talk to people.

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The next day, shortly before noon, Colonel Slate knocks on B.C.'s door. When she answers the door, she asks, "What can I do for you, Ben?"

"We are ready to leave when you are. Have you told your people about the mission yet?"

B.C. grabs her bag from next to the door and moves to knock on the other three doors. After knocking, she says, "It's time," at each door.

"Yes. They don't seem to be surprised at it. By the way, we will be around women that haven't adjusted to men's presence yet also. You might want to warn your men about them."

"I will warn them in route to the Nirvana. It will be easier that way aboard the Vidar."

She moves to follow him to the elevator.

"Do you have any captains in your command?"

"Yes, we have two, one for the Space and one for the Ground forces. Why do you ask?"

"It has to do with the rank structure on a ship. There is no person higher than the Captain on our ship. Would it be a problem to temporarily promote them to major when on board the Nirvana?"

"It shouldn't be a problem, they mostly prefer to go by their names anyway, but if it makes you and your captain feel better, then I will have it done."

"Thank you, Ben. My captain isn't military, she's a pirate. I ask because she wouldn't notice it, not being military."

The elevator arrives on the second floor just as Hibiki, Dita, Duero, Bart, and Pyoro come into the hallway. They all climb aboard and head to the ground floor. When they reach the ship, Vidar, they check to make sure they are the last aboard, and head into space toward the Nirvana.

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A/N: I apologize for the long chapters with no action, but I don't like to rush things and feel that a lot of what goes on here will have an affect later in the story…..maybe….don't quote me though.

Also, here are some more character descriptions, not nearly as many as last time, but enough.

Parfet Balblair – Chief Engineer aboard the Nirvana. She is 5'2" tall with brown hair, and unknown eye color, due to her glasses. She has feelings for Duero, but doesn't know quite what to do about them. She has a deep love of mechanics and electronics and explores that any time she gets a chance. And all this at only 19 years old.

Magno Vivan – The captain of the Nirvana and creator of the Magno Pirates. Even if she does look like a kind, 109 year old, lady, she has a ruthless streak when it comes to enemies and those that harm her crew. Also, as a first generation citizen from the colonization era, she has equal say in the politics of the planets of Taraak and Mejer. She has been around men before, but due to the long years of separation, has forgotten much of what she knew about them…maybe. She knows much she isn't saying.

Major Manner Longley – Yet another taken from the book "The Legend of the Duelist" by Rutledge Etheridge. He is short and easy to underestimate, but quick-witted, easy going, and easy to get along with.

Major John Pritcher – Again from the book "Legend of the Duelist." He is very strict, and laughs rarely. He is an expert in warfare strategy and tactics, and knows how to stretch resources to their limit.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I do not own Vandread, Robotech, Zoids, Gundam Wing, or Xenogears. Nor do I own the names and descriptions of several of the characters I will be using. I will be using the Robotech books by Jack McKinney as the basis for all mecha from Robotech. All Zoids and Xenogears equipment are customized to the Vandread universe and, as such, will not have minds or will of their own.

All criticism is welcome, however, if you are going to try and flame me, at least be original. There are only so many times you can be told, "You Suck!!!" before it gets boring.

A/N: A few friends of mine said that I focus too much on conversation and not enough on the description of what is happening. Taking that into account, I will try (no promises) to fix that and I will be going back to the first two chapters to do the same.

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"Hibiki, how much longer do you need the cast for your arm?"

Hibiki jumps and looks to the voice that snuck up on him to see B.C. leaning very close to him over his shoulder. He breathes a quiet sign of relief and shrugs.

"Duero said it should be fine in about 2 more weeks. He won't know for sure until we are back on the Nirvana and he can do a full scan. I can't wait, though, it's itching like crazy."

B.C. nods her head slightly to his statement.

"Okay, remember to take it easy on that arm, and let Dita know you need to take it easy as well."

She smiles inwardly when he blushes at her comment about Dita, _'Although,'_ she thinks, _'he does still seem a bit confused about the comment.'_

She walks down the aisle between the shuttle seats towards Duero and Bart. Duero is sitting quietly reading a book, ignoring the snoring Bart sitting right next to him. He looks up at B.C. as she approaches.

"Is everything okay, Commander?"

"Everything is fine, how about you two?"

"Everything is fine here, although I will be looking into some things to cure snoring when I have the time."

B.C. smiles at the comment and moves on down the aisle. She sees that most of the men in this compartment of the shuttle are sleeping or quietly occupying their time. She sees four playing cards in the corner. Another few are talking quietly and laughing. Overall, they seem to be a quiet and calm bunch. She smiles at that thought. Because of her life, she has more of an insight into men's personalities than most of the rest of the crew on the Nirvana, but these men pleasantly surprise her. They are not like the stereotypical Taarakian. Most are overbearing, proud, noisy, and quick to jump into decisions and actions, usually before thinking about it. She was starting to see the wisdom in sending these men with the Nirvana.

She was almost to the last row when she saw Colonel Slate entering through the rear hatch. He sat down in the last row and appeared to be listening to something with headphones. She continued on and exited the compartment through the same door he entered through. Inside she saw twenty more rows of seats, each with a soldier in it. Seeing that everything was fine, she returned to the front compartment and sat next the Colonel. He didn't seem to notice when she sat down, as his eyes were closed and he appeared to be asleep listening to the headphones still. She decided not to bother him and closed her own eyes to sleep while waiting to dock with Vidar before heading to meet the Nirvana.

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"We will be docking with the Vidar in 5 minutes, be sure all preparations are complete. I repeat, we will be docking with the Vidar in 5 minutes, be sure all preparations are complete."

The computerized voice over the 1MC (1) woke most of the crew up and they completed the job by waking up those still sleeping near them. Everyone started to prepare to leave the shuttle and head onboard the Vidar (2). Dita helped Hibiki with his stuff with him mumbling the entire time about being babied by a woman and how a man can carry his own stuff. Dita just smiled at him through it all and continued to carry his stuff. Colonel Slate went to the 1MC panel on the back of the compartment.

"All hands, listen up. We are going to be on training maneuvers for three months. During this time, we will be working with women, quite a few of which will be as used to men as you are to them. You will be on your best behavior. No fights, no brawls, and no arguments. If you feel like breaking my rules, I'm quite sure Major Long's new equipment could use a spit shine. Any problems bring them to me or Colonel Barrow. That is all. TAGS Company, move out."

With that, he stepped away from the comm. and headed waited for the compartment to clear. As soon as the last person stepped out, he went through the rear hatch and checked the back to find it empty as well. He then walked to the hatch they left through and boarded the Vidar.

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The Vidar was the newest in a series of ships for the Taarakians. It was far sleeker than previous ships. Slightly shorter and slimmer than the Nirvana, it was also theoretically capable of entering atmosphere and landing, but it hadn't been tested yet. It had two elevators on top that led to Vanguard storage areas, two drop ships to carry equipment and personnel to and from planet surface, four missile launch bays forward (3) and two aft (4), and automated defense weapons lining both sides of the ship on top and underneath for a total of 28 guns. Each gun, if it worked to specifications, would put out 30000 rounds per minute with completely computerized tracking systems aiming the weapons.

As Colonel Slate entered the ship, he activated his comm. unit and listened to preparations for departure.

"Docking for both drop ships will be complete in 10 minutes."

"Crew shuttle departing for planets surface."

"Departing for Nirvana in 30 minutes. All supplies with exception of drop ships complete."

He nodded at each statement as it streamed out of the comm. unit as he made his way to the bridge. On the bridge he found six men running system checks on their stations. He turned to go to his seat to find his station in pieces.

"Corporal, what happened here?"

The man nearest to him looked up as he spoke and, seeing the condition of the Colonel's station, turned a little pale.

"Sir, the technicians were scheduled to repair it today and no one informed them that we would be launching. They will be here soon to finish the job, sir."

Colonel Slate turned to look at the man.

"Call them up and tell them to get this done ASAP (5) if what they are working on now isn't vital to moving this ship, then make it NOW."

The corporal rushed back to his station to call the technicians. Colonel Slate stands for a second looking at his station and, shrugging, turns back to the hatch leading onto the bridge to leave and check the Vanguard hangars. On his way, he sees three technicians run past towards the bridge.

When he reaches the hangars, he sees Hibiki with Dita hanging off his right arm, standing to the side out of the way, watching his men work getting everything ready. He walks over to them.

"Dita, Hibiki, how are you doing?"

"Good, Colonel, just watching them getting everything ready. It's really interesting to watch, because it looks like total chaos, but is really organized all the same. It's really cool."

"How are you doing, Mr. Colonel?"

"I'm okay, Dita, just double checking everything before launch."

"Do you fly a Vanguard also, Colonel?"

"Yes, it's named Gray Dog, more of a hand to hand unit, but still has a few surprises."

"Will you be doing simulator combat with us and the women?"

"Yes, I will be having all the pilots doing simulation training. I understand you have some older Tsukumo model Vanguards on the Nirvana still. Do you know if they are planning anything with them?"

"I guess we do, we haven't used them except for once, so unless they were moved or scrapped, then they would still be there. I don't know if they have anything planned for them. Do you have something in mind?"

"Yes, actually, I'm thinking of putting a few of my pilots on the Nirvana with their Vanguards. That way we will have a few pilots over there to help defend it if necessary."

Suddenly, Slate's comm. unit beeps.

"Colonel Slate speaking."

"Sir, the drop ships will be docking soon with the new model Vanguards on them. Problem is, Colonel, we don't have the room on the ship to take them off the drop ships. Should we leave the new models on them?"

"Yes, that shouldn't be a problem, just make sure they are secured firmly. Wouldn't want to damage them or anything else."

"Yes, sir."

With that, the comm. unit shuts off. Colonel Slate turns to Hibiki and Dita.

"Well, I have work to do. I will see you two later."

"Later, Colonel."

"Bye, Mr. Colonel."

Slate walks back towards the bridge. Upon entering the bridge, he sees the three technicians he saw running past earlier working on his station. Deciding to leave them to their job, he turns to the bridge officer, Major Dobbs.

"Major, how long till we are fully prepped to depart?"

"15 more minutes, sir."

"Let me know when our ETD (6) is five minutes."

"Roger that, sir."

Major Dobbs returns to overseeing the six men at the stations as Slate watches the three techs working on his station.

"You three have ten minutes to finish."

"But sir…"

"Nine minutes."

The technician turns back to his task and starts working faster. Slate walked to the nearest wall and leaned against it, waiting for the technicians to finish. After eight minutes, two of the techs starting putting away tools and equipment while the third finished closing up a panel on the station. As soon as he finishes closing the panel, all three quickly leave the bridge. Slate walks over to the station and sits down.

"Everything ready, Major?"

"Almost, sir, seven minutes to departure."

"Alright, carry on then."

Slate turns his attention to the display on his station and begins studying statistics of the new Vanguards. They were top of the line when it came to equipment used in their construction, but each specialized in its own area. The Hellcat model seemed to be stealth operations, the Gunsniper to long range sniping, the Liger Panzer was a walking missile platform with two cannons on top, the Command Wolf's were good general purpose, but he would have the techs lock the Ragnarok Fang (7) attack just to be on the safe side. Lightning Saix was made for high speed assaults on enemies. Onboard he had a total of 10 Lightning Saix, 20 Command Wolf's, 4 Liger Panzers, 6 Gunsnipers, and 10 Hellcats.

"_Fifty units ready for testing and combat. Maybe split them into two companies, evenly distribute between them. I will have to check them out and see the armaments test on them all before I make any decision about that, though."_

Slate activates his comm. unit and types in 3579.

"Barrow, can you hear me?"

"Loud and clear, Colonel."

"All Vanguards onboard and locked down?"

"Yes sir, ready to leave when you are."

"Roger, Slate out."

"Major Dobbs. Let's move out."

"Yes, Sir!"

Major Dobbs turns to the bridge crew.

"LAUNCH!!"

There is a brief vibration throughout the untested ship as new engines are powered up to full power and activated. Within seconds, the vibration stops and the ship is moving smoothly through space for a rendezvous with the Nirvana.

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A/N: Ah, it's that wonderful time again. Otherwise known as explanation time.

1. 1MC – Used as an announcement system onboard naval vessels. It is usually used to sound the time, warnings, and speeches by the ships captain.

2. Vidar – Norse god of vengeance, son of Odin and giantess Grid. Destined to avenge Odin's death at Ragnarok and is one of the few gods destined to survive the conflict.

3. Forward – naval terminology meaning the front of the vessel or ship.

4. Aft – naval terminology meaning the back end of the vessel or ship.

5. ASAP – As Soon As Possible.

6. ETD – Estimated Time of Departure.

7. Ragnarok Fang – a suicide attack in which the machine clamps its jaws to the enemy and self-destructs. Machine, pilot, and (theoretically) the enemy are destroyed in the explosion.


End file.
